Topic outline

  • General

    Military mom visiting childcare


    Military Cultural Competence for Child Care Providers


    The ongoing mobilization of National Guard and Reserve forces makes it likely that even child care providers who do not work near a military installation either are currently caring for a military connected child or will care for one in the future. The first module of this E-Learning series is designed to help center and family home child care professionals provide culturally competent, responsive care for military families and their children.

    Military Culture 101: In order to work effectively with families and honor their military service, child care providers need a basic understanding of military culture and military family life. This learning module will introduce child care providers to characteristics of the United States Military system and the unique qualities of military family life.

    Supportive Child Care for Military Families: All families experience stressful times. For military families those stressful times may happen more frequently, last longer, or occur in conjunction with other unique challenges associated with military service. This learning module will examine the effect of stress on children's development and behavior and provide strategies that child care providers can use to support the military connected children in their care.

      This Learning Series was developed by eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care (EABCC):
      Jane Lanigan, Ph.D,Associate Professor, Washington State University
      Diane Bales, Ph.D, Associate Professor, University of Georgia
      Kathy Reschke, Ph.D, Concentration Leader, EABCC

      In collaboration with the Department of Defense

      Eddy Mentzer, CIV OSD PR

      • Military Culture 101

        In order to work effectively with families and honor their military service, child care providers need a basic understanding of military culture and military family life. The purpose of this learning module is to:

        1. Introduce child care providers to the language, values, structure, policies and expectations of the United States Military Service Branches.
        2. Explain the differences between Active and Reserve military service.
        3. Describe the unique assets and challenges associated with military family life.
        4. Explore child development within the context of military family life
      • Strategies for Supporting Military Children and Families in Child Care Settings

        This is the 2nd in a 2 part series of learning modules designed to provide professional development for child care providers who work with military connected children and families.We recommend that you view Military Culture 101 prior to completing this module. After completing this learning module you will be able to:

        1. Describe how children perceive and respond to family stressors at different stages of development.
        2. Examine the effect of chronic stress on children’s brain and development.
        3. Describe ways that child care providers can mitigate the challenges military families experience.
        4. Provide strategies that child care providers can use to support children experiencing stress and to respond to challenging behaviors.
        5. Identify resources available to assist child care providers serving military connected children including those of the Military Families Learning Network.
      • Using Books in Child Care to Connect with Military Children's Lives

        This learning module provides a rationale and practical suggestions for using literature to support children’s social-emotional development as they learn to cope with the stresses, anxieties, and feelings of loss that can occur in their lives. Although all children can benefit from books, in this module we pay special attention to the needs of military children. The purpose of this module is to help providers to understand:

        1. the power of books for children
        2. how to use books to help children cope with difficult situations
        3. what to look for in selecting helpful books
        4. specific strategies on how to use books to help children cope with difficult situations
        5. how an interactive children’s database can be useful for finding books that are particularly helpful for military children